Can this ambitious new Mexican steakhouse woo diners to Lakewood? Here’s a first look
From the outside, the revamped restaurant at 6112 100th St. in Lakewood might recall the shape of a Denny’s — because it was one, from the late 1970s until its closure in 2018.
It sat empty for a couple of years before quiet renovations began. The building suffered from a fire at one point and construction seesawed. In 2022, the City of Lakewood confirmed that it would become a Mexican restaurant, but details remained rather cryptic.
Last fall, that page finally turned with the opening of Rey Carbon, but the honeymoon didn’t last long. After a somewhat rocky start, the restaurant closed in June to regroup.
A month ago, it resurfaced. Same name, similar decor but updated ambiance. Importantly, there’s fresh staff in the kitchen and front-of-house, serving a new menu that revolves foremost around high-quality steaks, with creative sides and shareable plates that travel from Southern California through Mexico to Central America. In addition to a new-world wine list, the cocktail program is ready to roll.
I mention all of the above for context — because this is not your typical Mexican restaurant. Please don’t zip over to this restaurant expecting a combination platter or saucy enchiladas. (We have plenty of options on that front already!) Rey Carbon wants instead to define a different category of dining in Lakewood and beyond.
The owner, Abel Brambila, knows a thing or two about Mexican cuisine and entrepreneurship. He and his company, headquartered in Fife, are behind the prolific taqueria chains El Rinconsito and El Antojo as well as two full-service Antojos Mexican Grill locations.
His vision for Rey Carbon, said general manager Franco D’Amico, was not what it became at first blush.
This summer, D’Amico, who has worked in the industry for decades, including in Hawaii, Tahoe, Seattle and in recent years Tacoma, set out to help change it.
Chef Adam Gilly is now leading the kitchen, bringing experience from his chef-upbringing in San Diego. His sous, Jordan Schow, followed.
They started with the foundation of “Mexican steak and seafood house,” said D’Amico, “but let’s explore the freedom in there.”
He took charge of the beverage program, focusing on affordable South American wines and cocktails ($12-$14) that are a far cry from the sour-mix margaritas elsewhere. The Savory 50/50 caught my bitter eye, a blend of Manzanilla sherry and tequila with lime and a tomato syrup. The house old fashioned, El Hombre, features a big cube frozen with cinnamon-infused agave — keep the stick — and Knob’s Creek bourbon. (Enjoy in the bar, too, where televisions and various seating options lend a more casual atmosphere.)
MEXICAN STEAKHOUSE IN LAKEWOOD
The dinner menu stars 14 cuts of beef cooked on a wood-fired grill, from a 16-ounce ribeye sourced from Sheldon Farms in Vermont ($63) and a 26-day dry-aged New York strip from Niman Ranch ($85), to an olive-fed striploin from Shodoshima Island in Japan. You can even indulge in an A-5 Miyazaki tenderloin priced by the ounce ($30, minimum 2-oz portion).
Add-ons include avocado chimichurri, mushrooms, bone marrow butter and the pricier bets of crab legs or lobster tail.
Share a vegetable, such as the whole-roasted cauliflower ($18), which arrived in a large, shallow bowl with a queso fundido-inspired sauce, salsa macha made with sunflower seeds and bright, acidic pickled red onion. Dishes like the clever cream corn brûlée intrigued on paper and surprised at first crack of the yes-it’s-brûléed shell, revealing a rich, thick broth with kernels, hunks of smoked pork belly and jalapeno.
On the lighter side, there are salads — a wedge, a beet and citrus number, a Caesar with avocado, roasted corn and a poblano-tinged dressing — and ceviche. We opted for the halibut crudo ($22), the cold fish paired with a vibrant green puree, pickled Fresnos and cherry tomatoes. It set the mood for a dinner that I simply was not expecting.
The carnitas tacos ($23) likewise arrived as a whole crispy shank, but the meat easily fell off the bone, just as our knowledgeable server predicted. He was almost too attentive, due to an otherwise dead dining room.
“‘Where’s the combo platter?’” D’Amico said staff has heard since the Aug. 12 reopening. “We’re just not doing that.”
Instead, they hope the meat can “stand on its own” and the rest of the meal can be built around it. Or you can do as I did and explore the rest of the enticing menu — you’ll be back.
I sure hope this new plan works because Rey Carbon would be a blast with a room full of people.
REY CARBON
▪ 6112 100th St. SW, Lakewood, 253-507-7937, reycarbon.com
▪ Dining Room/Dinner Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday-Saturday 5-10 p.m.
▪ Bar Hours: Monday-Thursday 5-9 p.m., Friday 5-10 p.m., Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
▪ Revamped Mexican steakhouse with ambitious beef and cocktail programs, plus creative accompaniments; lounge-only menus coming soon; reservations available via OpenTable
